Why Folks Around the World Do Breakfast Better

Eating sugary cereal, syrup-laden pancakes, or piles of fatty bacon for breakfast may be all-American, but it's not exactly, uh, nutritious. Instead, try these foods from across the globe that'll help boost your energy, prevent disease, and whittle your waistline.

An open-faced fish sandwich

An open-faced fish sandwich

This might rock your food world, but here it goes: Sandwiches don't have to be eaten at lunchtime — and they don't need to contain two pieces of bread. Make like the Swedes and serve yourself an open-faced sandwich on a piece of dark, hearty, 100-percent whole-grain rye, says Harley Pasternak, a fitness and nutrition expert who has analyzed dietary trends all over the world, and the author of The Body Reset Diet. Top the bread with grilled herring, which is jam-packed with healthful omega-3 fatty acids and protein, and for even more protein, a hard boiled egg. If you want to get fancy, add sliced cucumbers or tomatoes.

Old grains

Old grains

Move over Frosted Flakes and Wonder Bread. Rather than scarfing down one of those refined treats and making your blood sugar spike, have cereal, granola, or toast that comes from an old grain, such as millet, maize, or sorghum. Old grains are less processed, so they contain more nutrients — including fiber, which improves digestion and helps you feel full faster. "While traveling, I would often see women, boys, and girls in rural, less developed African countries, like Chad and Mali, grind their own local, old grains and pound it by hand. As a result, the grains they eat are nutrient-dense," says Peter Menzel, a photojournalist who traveled to dozens of countries to co-write Hungry Planet: What the World Eats and What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.